UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): July 20, 2006
Applied Materials, Inc.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
| Delaware | 0-6920 | 94-1655526 | ||
| (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation) |
(Commission File Number) | (IRS Employer Identification No.) |
| 3050 Bowers Avenue P.O. Box 58039 Santa Clara, CA |
95052-8039 | |
| (Address of principal executive offices) |
(Zip Code) |
Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (408) 727-5555
N/A
(Former name or former address, if changed since last report.)
Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:
| ¨ | Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425) |
| ¨ | Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12) |
| ¨ | Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b)) |
| ¨ | Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c)) |
| Item 7.01 | Regulation FD Disclosure. |
On July 20, 2006, Applied Materials, Inc. issued a press release announcing it had completed formation of a joint venture company, Sokudo Co., Ltd., with Dainippon Screen Mfg. Co., Ltd. The text of the press release is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1.
The information in this Form 8-K, including the exhibit, shall not be incorporated by reference into any filing of Applied Materials, Inc., whether made before or after the date hereof, regardless of any general incorporation language in such filing, unless expressly incorporated by specific reference in such filing. The information in this report shall not be deemed to be “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section or Sections 11 and 12(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
| Item 9.01 | Financial Statements and Exhibits. |
(d) Exhibits
| 99.1 | Press Release issued by Applied Materials, Inc. dated July 20, 2006. |
SIGNATURE
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
| Applied Materials, Inc. (Registrant) | ||||||||
| Dated: July 20, 2006 | ||||||||
| By: | /s/ JOSEPH J. SWEENEY | |||||||
| Joseph J. Sweeney Senior Vice President General Counsel and Corporate Secretary | ||||||||
EXHIBIT INDEX
| Exhibit No. | Description | |
| 99.1 | Press Release issued by Applied Materials, Inc. dated July 20, 2006. |
Exhibit 99.1
Applied Materials and Dainippon Screen Complete Formation
of Sokudo Company Joint Venture
SANTA CLARA, Calif.,—(BUSINESS WIRE) July 20, 2006 —Applied Materials, Inc. (Nasdaq: AMAT) and Dainippon Screen Mfg. Co., Ltd. (Screen) today announced that they have completed the formation of Sokudo Co., Ltd., a joint venture company. Sokudo brings together the complementary resources and capabilities of Screen and Applied Materials to deliver advanced, technically differentiated track solutions for customers’ critical semiconductor manufacturing requirements.
Sokudo, headquartered in Kyoto, Japan, is 52% owned by Screen and 48% owned by Applied Materials. Screen’s existing track business and related intellectual property, including employees, products and its installed base of systems, are being transferred to Sokudo. Applied Materials contributed 16.6 billion Yen (approximately US$151 million) to Sokudo and is transferring technology, related intellectual property and key development employees to the new company.
“This joint venture demonstrates a strong commitment from both companies to provide our customers with innovative track solutions to meet the challenges of nanometer-scale manufacturing,” said Mike Splinter, CEO and president of Applied Materials. “Combining Applied and Screen’s talents and resources will allow us to create advanced, highly competitive products with new levels of performance in a shorter timeframe. These track products will also enhance Applied’s expanding portfolio of lithography-enabling solutions.”
Sokudo’s chief executive officer is Takashige Suetake, executive vice chairman of Dainippon Screen Mfg. Co., Ltd. and president of Screen’s Semiconductor Equipment Company. “Sokudo combines coat/develop track development and production expertise cultivated over many years by Screen with Applied Materials’ advanced product technology and expertise,” commented Mr. Suetake. “Sokudo has a clear roadmap of its direction, and this select Japan/U.S. team is intensely focused on the development of advanced products that will move our customers forward into the next generation.”
Sokudo’s Board of Directors includes Takashige Suetake; Mike Splinter; Menachem Erad, group vice president and chief of staff of Applied Materials; Farhad Moghadam, senior vice president and general manager of Applied’s Thin Films Group; Masahiro Hashimoto, representative director and COO of Dainippon Screen Mfg. Co., Ltd.; and Tadahiro Suhara, corporate officer of Dainippon Screen Mfg. Co., Ltd. and vice president of Semiconductor Equipment Company.
According to market researcher Gartner Dataquest, the market for track systems was estimated to be $1.4 billion in 2005 and is forecast to grow to nearly $2.0 billion in 2008.
Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains forward-looking statements relating to Applied Materials’ (“Applied”) joint venture with Dainippon Screen (“Screen”) and expected benefits of the transaction, including new product development/commercialization in a shorter timeframe, portfolio enhancement and
growth opportunities; Applied’s and Screen’s technology leadership and capabilities; and the market for track systems. These statements are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those stated or implied, including but not limited to: successful integration of Applied’s and Screen’s respective contributions to the joint venture; the joint venture’s ability to develop, manufacture and commercialize products; sustainability of demand in the semiconductor and semiconductor equipment industries, which is subject to many factors, including global economic conditions, business spending, consumer confidence, demand for electronic products and integrated circuits, and geopolitical uncertainties; Applied’s ability to develop, deliver and support a broad range of products and to expand its markets and develop new markets; retention of key employees; and other risks described in Applied’s Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements are based on managements’ estimates, projections and assumptions as of the date hereof and Applied assumes no obligation to update any such statement.
Sokudo Co., Ltd., headquartered in Kyoto, Japan, was established on July 3, 2006 for the development, manufacturing, sales and service of advanced coat/develop track equipment for semiconductor production. Its website is www.sokudo.com.
Dainippon Screen Mfg. Co., Ltd. was established in 1943 and is a top 10 supplier of semiconductor fabrication equipment, specializing in wafer cleaning systems, coater/developer track equipment, and next-generation flash anneal tools. Dainippon Screen is a public company quoted on the Tokyo stock exchange (TSE: 7735). Its website is www.screen.co.jp.
Applied Materials, Inc. (Nasdaq: AMAT) is the global leader in nanomanufacturing technology™ solutions for the electronics industry with a broad portfolio of innovative equipment, service and software products. At Applied Materials, we apply nanomanufacturing technology to improve the way people live. Learn more at www.appliedmaterials.com.
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CONTACTS:
| Applied Materials | ||||||
| Dave Miller |
(business media) |
408/563-9582 | ||||
| Betty Newboe |
(technical media) |
408/563-0647 | ||||
| Randy Bane |
(financial community) |
408/986-7916 | ||||
| Dainippon Screen Mfg. Co., Ltd. | ||||||
| Hiroaki Nakamura |
+81-75-414-7131 | |||||